Hammer mechanism for use in straightening automobile bodies and fenders



April 29; 1952 E. UBERTI 2,595,207 HAMMER MECHANISM FOR USE. IN STRAIGHTENING AUTOMOBILE BODIES AND FENDERS Filed March 26, 1947 .mobile bodies and fenders.

Patented Apr. 29, 1952 HAMMER MECHANISM FOR USE IN STRAIGHTENING AU T O M B I L E BODIES AND FENDERS Eugene Uberti, Medford, Mass. Pasquale Uberti, administrator of said Eugene Uberti, deceased, assignor to Pasquale Uberti, Malden, Mass.

Application March 26, 1947, Serial No. 737,334

2 Claims. (01. 153-32) This invention relates to a' method of and apparatus for use in removing dents from auto- The removal of body or fender dents is accomplished by hammering the metal against an anvil of the desired contour held'against the under or inner surface of the damaged area. This operation is greatly facilitated by the use of a tool consisting of a yoke to straddle the work with an anvil supported by one of its arms and a pneumatic hammer mounted on the other. With such a tool, the workman may easily and accurately guide the tool relative to the damaged area with assurance that the anvil is properly located with reference to the rapidly acting hammer.

In accordance with my invention, I provide anvils for use in such an operation which enable better results to be attained. Such anvils have their work contacting surface formed to establish one or a plurality of spaced projections, the work contacting surface of each of which is of the desired contour. Where an anvil in accordance with my invention has a plurality of such pro- Jections, the intermediate channels provide passages extending from end to end thereof and preferably my anvils are elongated and the projections are in the form of parallel ridges, the width of each of which is substantially less than the width of the hammer.

With such an anvil, not only do the grooves or passages receive dirt and other matter with which the under surface of a fender is commonly encrusted and which would prevent the anvil from providing its intended support, but also they accommodate metal stock worked therein by the hammer as adjacent portions of the metal are hammered against the ridges. In accordance with my invention, therefore, it will be apparent that while narrow sections of the metal are hammered against the ridges, an important function of the ridges is to serve as gauges limiting the eflect of the hammer where the metal is unsupported so that the metal in a damaged area is shaped to its proper contour with materially decreased chance of the metal in wrinkles or folds being crimped by the action of the hammer.

Inthe accompanying drawings, I have shown illustrative embodiments of my invention from which its novel features and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of a tool for use in straightening fenders with an anvil in accordance with my invention supported by one of the arms,

Fig. 2 is'aperspective view of one o-f'my anvils,

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified form of anvil.

Ananvil in accordance with my invention may be used with a manually yieldable hammer or it may be used as a replaceable part of a tool such as that indicated generally at 5 in Fig. 1. Such a tool has an air operated hammer 6 mounted on its arm 1 and one of my anvils 8 supported by its other arm 9 to engage with the under surface of a fender in the zone of the hammers contact therewith when the tool is in use.

An anvil 8 may vary considerably as to its construction provided that it has on its upper surface at least one projection of less width than the diameter of the hammer and establishing the desired anvil contour. Preferably, I form my anvils into a plurality of such projections establishing channels extending from end to end thereof. In Figs. 2 and 3, I have shown two forms of anvils that have proved satisfactory in use.

The anvil 8 of Fig. 2 is an elongated block [0 having the pro ections in the form of four substantially fiat surfaced ribs II and the passages in the form of grooves l2 with the ribs and grooves extending from end to end of the block l0. In the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 3, the block I 3 is somewhat narrower than the block In and has a pair of substantially flat surfaced ribs l4 wider than the ribs H and a single groove I5. In practice, I have-obtained good results by spacing the ribs a distance substantially equal to their width and by having the depth of the grooves substantially equal to their width.

In use, my anvils 8 provide for a novel method of removing dents for in accordance with-,my invention part of the metal in the path of the hammer is supported on the ribs while the remainder of the metal in that zone is unsupported. Thus, while part of the metal contacted by the hammer is pounded against the ribs of the anvil, the ribs serve as gauges limiting the extent to which the unsupported metal may be affected by the action of the hammer. As the hammer and the anvil arefnoved in cooperative relation in the damaged zone, the metal between the hammer and the anvil is not entirely restricted aiid is relatively free to be worked into its desired contour. At the same time, any dirt or other matter encrusted on the under surface of the fender that becomes dislodged works into the passage or passages and thus does not become a factor interfering with the function of the projections What I therefore claim and desire to secure Letters Patent is:

1. Fender or like metal straightening equipment comprising: a :pair of interconnected arms space'd 'toreceive between them the metal to be straightened, an air operated hammer carried by one of said arms and having a flat work .en-

gaging surface, and an anvilcarriedbyvthe other;

of said arms, said anvil comprisingia :blockrineluding on its upper surface, a plurality of spaced, parallel projections, the .work contacting surfaces of which establish' ..s t1r1 -rv desiredcontour: of the-anvil, the width of .eachbfliilhichiissiubstantially .less than the maximumxcross' sectional dimension v of said hammeri land mBLHEn t'hIJOf which is substantially greater than .saidfdimen- L 2. Fender or ,like metal straighteningsequipi-ment comprising a pair" of: interconnected'arms spaced to receive between them the metal to' be straightened-an air operated hammer carried by one of said arms and having a flat work engaging shriacegand an anvil carriedbythe other of said" zdesiredcontour of the anvil andtwhich estabdish a plurality. of grooves, theewidth of any pair of projections and the intermediate groove beaqing less than the maximum cross sectional oe-dimension of'said hammer.

'iillfheifollowing-references areof record in the -filev of this patent:

.UNITED STATES PAfIENTS Number Name Date 5791 733 Baum Mar. 30, 1897 1,148,131 Thompson July 27, 1915 1,196,942 ii'l traserflwnnufl -..-;Sept.; 5,fj1916 313511198 qiDeemer "a"; =N ov.i.25,::1 924 1,809,340 Hilstad. s [June 1931 .:.1',9Z3,331 Callahan V- :Sept. 11,1934 52,332,050 .Bormpw f@ct'; 19,11943 

